Baseboard electric heating apparatus



Jan. 1, 1963 R. MAST BASEBOARD ELECTRIC HEATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1955 INVENTOR. LOWELL R. MAS BY A 7' TORNE Y.

Filed Sept. 22, 1955, Ser. No. 535,864 4 Claims. (Cl. 219--34) This invention relates to heating apparatus, and, more specifically to a particular type of electric heater designed to be used with facility in conjunction with a longitudinally suspended heating element located adjacent the baseboard of a room and designed to facilitate circulation of heated air 'theret-hrough principally by convection.

Many methods for supporting heating equipment adjacent the baseboards of a room have been devised but none are particularly suitable for use with an electric heating element of the cast metal type. Such heating elements are usually relatively heavy in order to provide sufficient heating. surface because they usually operate substantially below the red temperature level. Further because such heaters operate at such temperatures, it is important to assure an adequate method of circulating air through the heating equipment and particularly by or over the surfaces of the heating element. While such structure must of necessity solve the above problems, it must also be produced inexpensively in order to successfully compete with other types of electric heating equipment. Additionally, this type of heating apparatus must be designed for easy installation in a room and easy connection with the existing electric wiring.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide electric heating apparatus in which the above mentioned problems are successfully solved in an efficient manner. Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which while being durable and sturdy may be inexpensively manufactured. Another object of this invention is to provide electric heating apparatus of the above character which will facilitate the circulation of air therethrough principally by convection. Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of the above character which may be conveniently and economically installed. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims to follow.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, partially fragmentary, of the heating apparatus with the cover plate partially removed to expose some of the interior parts, and, more particularly, the heating element, and

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is provided a base member generally indicated at which is generally channel shaped in cross section as seen in FIGURE 2. A longitudinal compartment generally indicated at 12 is formed adjacent the bottom of the base member to carry electric wiring generally indicated at 14. A supporting plate generally indicated at "16 is mounted on base member 10 and spaced therefrom to provide a passage for circulation of air in a manner to be described hereinafter. Bracket pieces generally indicated at 18 are connected to supporting plate 16 and e rates Patent 6 extend therefrom to support an electric heating element generally indicated at 20. A cover plate generally indicated at 22 extends between and is supported by bracket pieces 18 in front of heating element to thereby provide a second vertical path for the passage of air by convection through and around the heating element 20.

More specifically, base member 10 comprises a rear vertical section 24, a bottom forwardly extending section 26 an upstanding front section 28 with an inwardly extending flange 2801. A plate 30 is connected to flange 28 by screws 32 to complete the compartment 12 for the wire 14 at the base of the heating apparatus.

A top channel piece 34 which is generally right angular in cross section, as viewed in FIGURE 2, is connected to base member 10 as by welding or the like and has a front lip 34a for directing the air outwardly in a manner to be described. A pair of angle pieces 36 are connected to vertical section 24 of base member 10 in the vicinity of the ends thereof and supporting plate 16 is secured thereto by way of screws 38. Thus supporting plate 16 is held in spaced relation to section 24 of base member 10 to provide a vertical passage 40 therebetween for convection currents in a manner to be described.

Bracket pieces 18 which, as can be seen in FIGURE 1, are connected to supporting plate 16 in the vicinity of the ends thereof include horizontal sections 42 vertical sections 44 and horizontal sections 46. Horizontal sections 42 are secured to supporting plate 16 by screws 4-3 and heating element 20 is supported therebetween.

Heating element 20 preferably includes a solid central section encasing an electrical resistance element 5 2. Radially extending flanges '54 are preferably an integral part of section 50 and are axially spaced as seen in FIG- URE 1; preferably the central section 50 and the flanges 54 are a metal casting such as aluminum or the like. Lugs 56 extend from the ends of central section 50 and are preferably integral therewith; these lugs extend through suitable holes (not shown) in vertical sections 44- of bracket pieces 18. Thus the heating element 20 is securely suspended in position in front of the supporting plate 16 and above the wiring compartment 30 as can be readily understood from a consideration of the drawings.

Cover plate 22' is secured to horizontal sections 46 of bracket pieces 18 by screws 58 thus providing an ad ditional vertical path 59 for convection currents in a manner to be presently described. Supporting plate 16 has an upper portion 60 extending at an angle forwardly and terminating in a horizontally disposed section 60a.

The wire 14 in compartment 12 may have ends 14a and 14b extending through suitable holes in plate 30 to be connected to the electrical resistance element in the usual manner and a plug 62 may be provided for connection to an electric outlet in a house circuit or the'like.

Accordingly, when this heating apparatus is installed at the base of a wall it may be of any desired length in order to take care of the heating requirements of the particular space and it can be conveniently fitted into the wall structure in such manner as to be inconspicuous and pleasing in appearance. When in position air as indicated by the arrows induced by convection currents will travel up through the passage 40 between base member 10 and supporting plate 16, and, also, as indicated by r the arrows, it will take a path 59 in and around the heating element 20 between plate 16 and cover plate 22. Thus, these two paths of convection current provide a very eificient method of heating the air and heating the room in which the equipment is installed.

It will now be seen that I have provided a thoroughly practical and efficient construction in which the several objects hereinabove referred to have been successfully accomplished.

Since certain changes may be made in the construction which has been described without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter con tained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a baseboard type electric heater adapted for use along the base of a wall, the combination of a channelshaped base member having a rear vertical section adapted to fit against said wall and a bottom forwardly extending portion, a vertically disposed supporting plate, means for supporting said plate from said vertical section of said base member in spaced relation thereto and to said bottom portion thereof, thereby to define a secondary convection path inwardly over said bottom portion, upwardly between said plate and vertical section and thence outwardly into said room, a pair of bracket members fastened to said plate member, a vertically disposed front cover supported on said bracket members in spaced relation to said supporting plate and located so as to define a primary convection path upwardly between said supporting plate and said cover, and a heating element supported between said bracket members and in said primary conevction path.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said heating element is a unitary finned structure having longitudinally extending lugs and said bracket members are provided with apertures adapted to receive said lugs, thereby to support said element.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said base member has a forwardly extending upper portion adapted to guide air from said secondary convection path into intermixture with air from said primary path.

4-. The combination in claim 1 in which said bottom portion has an upstanding flange spaced from said rear section and including a closure plate releasably secured to said flange, thereby to form a closed, readily accessible compartment beneath said closure plate adapted to accommodate electrical supply lines and heating element connections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,688,168 Whittaker Oct. 16, 1928 1,801,099 McCormick Apr. 14, 1931 2,450,921 Smith Oct. 12, 1948 2,590,336 Mast Mar. 25, 1952 2,606,992 MacDonald Aug. 12, 1952 2,654,017 Hicks Sept. 29, 1953 2,662,963 Wessel Dec. 15, 1953 2,683,209 Beckjord July 6, 1954 2,733,049 Carter Ian. 31, 1956 2,799,763 Hicks July 16, 1957 2,815,431 Paley Dec. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 264,296 Great Britain Jan. 20, 1927 424,440 Great Britain Feb. 21, 1935 

1. IN A BASEBOARD TYPE ELECTRIC HEATER ADAPTED FOR USE ALONG THE BASE OF A WALL, THE COMBINATION OF A CHANNELSHAPED BASE MEMBER HAVING A REAR VERTICAL SECTION ADAPTED TO FIT AGAINST SAID WALL AND A BOTTOM FORWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED SUPPORTING PLATE, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID PLATE FROM SAID VERTICAL SECTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER IN SPACED RELATION THERETO AND TO SAID BOTTOM PORTION THEREOF, THEREBY TO DEFINE A SECONDARY CONVECTION PATH INWARDLY OVER SAID BOTTOM PORTION, UPWARDLY BETWEEN SAID PLATE AND VERTICAL SECTION AND THENCE OUTWARDLY INTO SAID ROOM, A PAIR OF BRACKET MEMBERS FASTENED TO SAID PLATE MEMBER, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED FRONT COVER SUPPORTED ON SAID BRACKET MEMBERS IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID SUPPORTING PLATE AND LOCATED SO AS TO DEFINE A PRIMARY CONVECTION PATH UPWARDLY BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTING PLATE AND SAID COVER, AND A HEATING ELEMENT SUPPORTED BETWEEN SAID BRACKET MEMBERS AND IN SAID PRIMARY CONVECTION PATH. 